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Aggies aiming for chance in the NFL
http://www.aggietownsquare.com/view...ming-for-chance-in-the-NFL?instance=topsports
by Adam Nettina1 day 10 hrs ago | 48 views | 0 | 2 | |
Senior Business finance major James Brindley readies himself for the 40-yard dash in front of pro football scouts from across the league. Brindley’s 4.44-second time greatly helped his chances to see time in an NFL mini camp this fall. Scouts from the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts are coming to Logan this weekend to have a private workout with Brindley.
slideshow In the span of 4.44 seconds, former USU safety James Brindley went from virtual afterthought to potential NFL playmaker. With his gut-wrenching, vein-tightening 22 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, center Brennan McFadden passed over from just another graduating offensive lineman to future pro football player. With one quick and powerful swing of the leg, kicker Chris Ulinski took his status as just another college student in a T-shirt and sweats to that of a legitimate free agent prospect.
And you thought you had a lot riding on your first job interview.
On Thursday, March 11, Utah State hosted its annual Pro Day in conjunction with Southern Utah University. A springtime rite of passage for the select few outgoing USU seniors who have a chance to make it to the professional ranks, this year’s Pro Day was attended by NFL scouts from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. The scouts put the eight USU seniors and five SUU prospects in attendance through a variety of physical tests, carefully watching and recording everything from the players’ 40-yard dash times to the number of repetitions they put up on a 225-pound bench press.
According to USU strength and conditioning coach Evan Simon, the outgoing seniors put up solid numbers as a group, with each player improving their chances at being invited to an NFL mini camp come May.
“I thought our guys did really well today,” said Simon, who has been helping to train the former Aggie players since the semester began in January. “They’ve been preparing hard and training hard the past eight to nine weeks. We’ve been preparing for what the scouts put them through, and I thought they executed the drills well. They got the times that we expected them to get.”
Notable Aggie standouts included McFadden (22 bench-press reps, 5.01-second 40-yard dash) and receiver Xavier Bowman (4.62-second 40-yard dash, 37.5-inch vertical leap), but the highlight of the day was provided by safety Brindley. Brindley, who finished his Aggie career with 253 total tackles and nine interceptions, ran the fastest 40-yard-dash time of any of the prospects present, clocking in at an unofficial time of 4.44 seconds on both attempts while also putting up an impressive 19 reps on the bench press and a 37-inch vertical leap. The events – which measure a player’s speed, upper-body strength and explosiveness, respectively – confirmed that the outgoing USU senior has a possible NFL career in his future.
“You could see that they had been working, and we were pleased with everything that went on,” commented an NFL scout, who asked to remain anonymous.
Brindley, who is considered undersized by traditional NFL scouting standards, said he was happy with his performance and credits Evan Simon with helping all the Aggie seniors prepare for the biggest job interview of their young lives.
“I think I did as well as I could have done, and I’m extremely happy with all my times,” the former All-WAC selection said. “(Coach Simon) has been extremely helpful. He taught us everything we possibly needed to know for today. All the Utah State guys did well. We had no errors or mess-ups, so it was just a solid day for all of us.”
While he came into this Pro Day as just a blip on the screen of many NFL teams, Brindley’s numbers compare favorably to some of the top college safety prospects in the country. According to NFL.com, his 4.44 second 40-yard dash would have ranked second only to Southern California safety Taylor Mayes’ 4.43-second 40 time at the NFL combine, while Brindley’s 19 reps on the bench press would have tied him for fifth most among safeties had he been present at the combine. Pro Day numbers often appear better than the numbers recorded at the NFL combine due to several factors, some of which can include the surface run on and the timing method used. Brindley and the other Aggies ran their drills indoors on Astroturf and may have benefited from the hand-timing method employed by the scouts in attendance.
Simon admitted that while the surface Brindley ran on is conducive to fast times, the first-year strength coach cautioned against discrediting the safety’s speed.
“The surface he ran on is a faster surface compared to conventional grass or even the field turf we have at the stadium, but I feel like a time on this surface would still be comparable to a time on any surface. If you’re fast, you’re fast,” Simon said.
Brindley’s accomplishments are especially impressive given the fact that he is coming off of an injury-plagued senior season in which he fought through a severe hamstring pull. According to Simon, the senior’s ability to overcome the injury coupled with his ability to come back from a minor postseason medical procedure speaks volumes to not only Brindley’s athleticism but his work ethic.
“We knew he was very capable of running what he did today, but coming off of a knee scope after the season and a severe hamstring pull that he played through, I knew it would be an uphill battle for him to hit those times again,” Simon said. “But he did, and he did a great job with running his 40 and the rest of the drills.”
Brindley wasn’t the only Aggie to impress the NFL scouts present at Pro Day, with his longtime friends and high school teammates McFadden and Ulinski who also had their chance to shine. McFadden put up the most reps of any prospect present at the event while displaying good speed and agility in a number of the running tests. While Ulinski didn’t take part in most of the events, including the 40-yard dash, the former rugby player drew the applause of friends and teammates when he put up 16 reps on the bench press while displaying his strong leg in simulated kicking drills in front of the scouts. The performances by all of USU’s seniors will only help the program in the future, said Simon, who pointed out the potential recruiting benefits of having former and current Aggies make it to the professional ranks.
“Anytime you’re talking about a football program, one of the questions recruits have in their minds is whether or not they can come in here and perform and then have a shot at the NFL,” Simon said. “The fact that we hosted a Pro Day and that this information will be given out to all of the NFL teams, I think that’s great for our program and for our university.”
For Brindley, the future looks bright. It isn’t likely that he improved his stock enough to hear his name come draft day, but he’s fast becoming one of the potential free agent “steals,” according to draft pundits and experts. He’s likely to make his way to an NFL camp later this spring but is modest when assessing his professional future, saying that he’s not above taking his game to the Canadian Football League or possibly even the Arena League if the NFL doesn’t work out. Overall, the California native is reflective on the whole experience and maintains that just having the chance to play professional football is a “dream come true.”
“As a kid you dream of it, but when you get a little older reality sets in that only so many make it,” Brindley said. “Having just the opportunity to come out and work in front of scouts is huge, and if I do get an opportunity to be on a team, it will be a dream come true.”
– adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu
http://www.aggietownsquare.com/view...ming-for-chance-in-the-NFL?instance=topsports
by Adam Nettina1 day 10 hrs ago | 48 views | 0 | 2 | |
Senior Business finance major James Brindley readies himself for the 40-yard dash in front of pro football scouts from across the league. Brindley’s 4.44-second time greatly helped his chances to see time in an NFL mini camp this fall. Scouts from the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts are coming to Logan this weekend to have a private workout with Brindley.
slideshow In the span of 4.44 seconds, former USU safety James Brindley went from virtual afterthought to potential NFL playmaker. With his gut-wrenching, vein-tightening 22 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, center Brennan McFadden passed over from just another graduating offensive lineman to future pro football player. With one quick and powerful swing of the leg, kicker Chris Ulinski took his status as just another college student in a T-shirt and sweats to that of a legitimate free agent prospect.
And you thought you had a lot riding on your first job interview.
On Thursday, March 11, Utah State hosted its annual Pro Day in conjunction with Southern Utah University. A springtime rite of passage for the select few outgoing USU seniors who have a chance to make it to the professional ranks, this year’s Pro Day was attended by NFL scouts from the Pittsburgh Steelers, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos. The scouts put the eight USU seniors and five SUU prospects in attendance through a variety of physical tests, carefully watching and recording everything from the players’ 40-yard dash times to the number of repetitions they put up on a 225-pound bench press.
According to USU strength and conditioning coach Evan Simon, the outgoing seniors put up solid numbers as a group, with each player improving their chances at being invited to an NFL mini camp come May.
“I thought our guys did really well today,” said Simon, who has been helping to train the former Aggie players since the semester began in January. “They’ve been preparing hard and training hard the past eight to nine weeks. We’ve been preparing for what the scouts put them through, and I thought they executed the drills well. They got the times that we expected them to get.”
Notable Aggie standouts included McFadden (22 bench-press reps, 5.01-second 40-yard dash) and receiver Xavier Bowman (4.62-second 40-yard dash, 37.5-inch vertical leap), but the highlight of the day was provided by safety Brindley. Brindley, who finished his Aggie career with 253 total tackles and nine interceptions, ran the fastest 40-yard-dash time of any of the prospects present, clocking in at an unofficial time of 4.44 seconds on both attempts while also putting up an impressive 19 reps on the bench press and a 37-inch vertical leap. The events – which measure a player’s speed, upper-body strength and explosiveness, respectively – confirmed that the outgoing USU senior has a possible NFL career in his future.
“You could see that they had been working, and we were pleased with everything that went on,” commented an NFL scout, who asked to remain anonymous.
Brindley, who is considered undersized by traditional NFL scouting standards, said he was happy with his performance and credits Evan Simon with helping all the Aggie seniors prepare for the biggest job interview of their young lives.
“I think I did as well as I could have done, and I’m extremely happy with all my times,” the former All-WAC selection said. “(Coach Simon) has been extremely helpful. He taught us everything we possibly needed to know for today. All the Utah State guys did well. We had no errors or mess-ups, so it was just a solid day for all of us.”
While he came into this Pro Day as just a blip on the screen of many NFL teams, Brindley’s numbers compare favorably to some of the top college safety prospects in the country. According to NFL.com, his 4.44 second 40-yard dash would have ranked second only to Southern California safety Taylor Mayes’ 4.43-second 40 time at the NFL combine, while Brindley’s 19 reps on the bench press would have tied him for fifth most among safeties had he been present at the combine. Pro Day numbers often appear better than the numbers recorded at the NFL combine due to several factors, some of which can include the surface run on and the timing method used. Brindley and the other Aggies ran their drills indoors on Astroturf and may have benefited from the hand-timing method employed by the scouts in attendance.
Simon admitted that while the surface Brindley ran on is conducive to fast times, the first-year strength coach cautioned against discrediting the safety’s speed.
“The surface he ran on is a faster surface compared to conventional grass or even the field turf we have at the stadium, but I feel like a time on this surface would still be comparable to a time on any surface. If you’re fast, you’re fast,” Simon said.
Brindley’s accomplishments are especially impressive given the fact that he is coming off of an injury-plagued senior season in which he fought through a severe hamstring pull. According to Simon, the senior’s ability to overcome the injury coupled with his ability to come back from a minor postseason medical procedure speaks volumes to not only Brindley’s athleticism but his work ethic.
“We knew he was very capable of running what he did today, but coming off of a knee scope after the season and a severe hamstring pull that he played through, I knew it would be an uphill battle for him to hit those times again,” Simon said. “But he did, and he did a great job with running his 40 and the rest of the drills.”
Brindley wasn’t the only Aggie to impress the NFL scouts present at Pro Day, with his longtime friends and high school teammates McFadden and Ulinski who also had their chance to shine. McFadden put up the most reps of any prospect present at the event while displaying good speed and agility in a number of the running tests. While Ulinski didn’t take part in most of the events, including the 40-yard dash, the former rugby player drew the applause of friends and teammates when he put up 16 reps on the bench press while displaying his strong leg in simulated kicking drills in front of the scouts. The performances by all of USU’s seniors will only help the program in the future, said Simon, who pointed out the potential recruiting benefits of having former and current Aggies make it to the professional ranks.
“Anytime you’re talking about a football program, one of the questions recruits have in their minds is whether or not they can come in here and perform and then have a shot at the NFL,” Simon said. “The fact that we hosted a Pro Day and that this information will be given out to all of the NFL teams, I think that’s great for our program and for our university.”
For Brindley, the future looks bright. It isn’t likely that he improved his stock enough to hear his name come draft day, but he’s fast becoming one of the potential free agent “steals,” according to draft pundits and experts. He’s likely to make his way to an NFL camp later this spring but is modest when assessing his professional future, saying that he’s not above taking his game to the Canadian Football League or possibly even the Arena League if the NFL doesn’t work out. Overall, the California native is reflective on the whole experience and maintains that just having the chance to play professional football is a “dream come true.”
“As a kid you dream of it, but when you get a little older reality sets in that only so many make it,” Brindley said. “Having just the opportunity to come out and work in front of scouts is huge, and if I do get an opportunity to be on a team, it will be a dream come true.”
– adam.nettina@aggiemail.usu.edu